Essence of Living

Archive for January, 2010

In India they say you only have a certain amount of breaths in your life so breathe slowly. The breath like the beat of the body happens automatically, no thinking is required…… its part of the magic of life.

As our mind and emotional states fluctuate these also affect the fluctuations of the breath. The quality of your breath is a direct reflection of the quality of your mind and visa versa. If we can learn to harmonize the breath and take the unconscious action of breathing and make it conscious then we can begin to rise above our mind and emotional states. A great speech and drama teacher once said to be me “If you can control your breath you can control your life”. Very in tune with ancient yogic philosophy.

I invite you to watch your breath, watch it through the day and see what you find. Notice the difference in depth, length and quality when walking, driving, eating, yoga, working, fighting, love-making and gardening…… become the silent observer.

One of the magnamonous men in my life Trevor Russell has made it his personal mission to encourage men to ‘man-up’, empower them to become better men and teach them how to create lasting connections with women.

He has dedicated years to studying and researching the male and female interaction process, not only the initial meeting, getting to know each other but also how to development loving relationships.

He has created a program to give men the tools to develop the right skills, to then know how to take the right action to be able to effectivelyand confidently communicate with women. Being able to move away from imagined fears as 95% of men fail in their ability to approach and be successful in meeting women.

I have been told that my 28th year is meant to be my most successful year to date according to a astrologer that I was introduced to in Maui, Hawaii a couple of years ago. Thus far I have to say he has been right with my personal life and business Essence of Living Yoga & Pilates studio at Mermaid Beach purring like a kitten. The universe has presented so many amazing people and opportunities all in line with my dreams.

The power of positive thinking can only take one so far….. I needed to create a plan and then take action to support that plan to manifest my dreams. I believe the universe helps those who help themselves whilst always working with integrity. I have found the more I let go on wanting anything the more that presents itself. It’s just like a yoga asana, you really want to be able to do it and you can’t. Then you stop trying and just say ‘What will be, will be’ and boom there it is. When I met my husband I was so content and happy single the last thing in the world I wanted was a man and he walked right into my life.

There is a big difference with letting go superficially and letting go completely! We have to be honest with our grasping and work hard to surrender all egotist wants and desires, only then will our world blossom and the magic appear.

The Road Less Traveled: A New Psychology of Love, Traditional Values and Spiritual Growth by the late M. Scott Peck, M.D was first published in 1978. A classic book about the road to spiritual growth through discipline, love and gratitude, something I return to for guidance and highly recommend to others. The ideas put forth are timeless and invaluable.

This is an insightful book about life and highlights how our upbringing and family dynamics effect our future. I found this book really thought-provoking and relative to raising a family as one needs to follow their conscience and make tough decisions. Peck teaches and encourages this process.

My favorite parts of the book were the real life stories as Peck was a practicing psychologist/psychiatrist who reveals the secrets to fulfilling, healthy, meaningful and lasting relationships. It really makes you see yourself and others in a different light, as well as words and concepts we think we understand. His hallmark argument is that we so often view love as a noun instead of a verb… as something that just happens to us or doesn’t happen to us, instead of an ongoing task we must work at…that work, that action-is love.

I live in a beautiful villa in Mermaid Beach however the only problem is it doesn’t have much of a garden area. There is no opportunity for a compost bin and being a vegan and living with 3 fruit bats we go through a lot of fruit and vegetable scraps. Up until now we have thrown them in the bin, but we now have a 1000 new residents.

The worm farm is an awesome idea given to me from my fellow yoga teacher Belinda. She inspired me so much that now I own my own 4 level worm farm and have the best food converter to plant fertilizer at my disposal.

It was so simple to set up and the boys loved picking the worms out of the bag and building their new home. It really is so easy to maintain and the boys love their new job and responsibility. I highly recommend the worm farm to anyone who has kids and wants to educate them on how they can make a difference in the world….. one worm at a time 🙂

During my stay here in Hawaii the most common word used is aloha. I originally thought it just simply meant hello and goodbye but today I was enlightened on it’s true meaning.

The word alo means “presence”, “front”, “face”, or “share”; and ha, means “breath of life” or “essence of life.” So when you meet or farewell someone and say aloha you are really saying you share the same essence of life (spirit).

I found this so inspiring and yogic because we also in the yoga community greet and farewell someone with Namaste which also shares a similar meaning. Namaste means “I bow to you. The light within me honors the light within you.”

Very few people can say they truly love what they do and do what they love. The key is to find a passion in which you can dedicate your life’s energy towards. The typical person will work 97,464 hours in their lifetime from the age of 18-65 working an average of 8 hours a day 5 days a week.

We have all heard the saying do what you love and you will never work a day in your life. When you do pursue a career in which you enjoy you tend to work longer and harder and therefore improve your skill set and knowledge base, all whilst increasing your professionalism and specialization.

With this natural enthusiasm and desire to grow and develop your passion you tend to become better than your competitors resulting in being “The best in the business’. My dad always said to me growing up “It doesn’t matter what you do, do what you love even if you are the local lawn mover, but be the best in your field and you will never be short of work.”